One of the longest lasting feuds between two sworn enemies is indeed who makes a better companion a dog or cat.
These two have been going head to head for centuries.
They are by far the two most popular pets in the US considering that approximately 86.4 million people in the US own a cat and 78.2 million are dog owners including me of course!
This is a legitimate battle going back about 33-55 million years ago.
Did you know that the early ancestors of cats were partially responsible for the extinction of 30 breeds of dogs! Crazy right? Well, cats have been superior hunters in comparison to their canine counterparts and it is with this valuable trait they were able to outhunt them for the same food sources.
Sadly, this caused our canine comrades to slowly start dying off by the breeds.
No wonder dogs seem to have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to cats but can you blame them?
Now, I have to admit I am biased in thinking that dogs “Man’s best friend” is a better pet than a cat “Man’s weird reclusive roommate that poops in a box”.
This is Dog Crazzzy and I am a dog lover thru and thru.
However, for arguments sake, let’s continue on just to see who comes out the champ in this head to tail challenge.
Round 1: Brain Power/Communication:
Okay, so as far as communication goes, cats have nearly 100 different sounds they can make to communicate.
Yes, you read that right now whether or not they use them all is up to them, much like the way they live their privileged lives (just saying).
Dogs only make about 10… but they do make it up with being capable of using up to 47 body gestures, 19 of which have been specifically translated to a dogs need or desire.
This research was done by a group of Cynologists “dog scientist” who I am extremely jealous of by the way for being able to chill with pups all day and get paid!
Cats do have long term memory which I guess could be somewhat useful but with Dogs, memory is a little different.
For instance, they can remember a trick you taught them years ago but completely forget that you just scolded them after taking a major dump on your floor 10 minutes ago.
They will just go on like it never happened and in their mind it never really did.
He’s looking up lovingly at you thinking, “Geez what crawled up my masters behind let’s play!”
They say a dog’s ability to learn and store information is comparable to a 2-3 year old child and if you can’t teach or expect a toddler to remember something don’t expect your dog to either.
There’s no data I could find on the cognitive age of a cat but I imagine they are much like a 50 year old who just won’t be bothered with learning things or performing for their slave (I mean owner).
Now, let me get all scientific on ya let’s talk about Neurons shall we?
Neurons are cells that transmit information in a beings nervous system so they can react accordingly to stimuli.
Now with this last lil factoid in mind, I have to drop this on ya are you ready?
Dogs have 530 million and cats only have 250…BOOM! That’s a W for the doggies!
Round 2 Human Interaction/Affection:
One word to start this off is oxytocin.
And with that word in mind this there’s really no competition in this category.
Oxytocin is essentially the love hormone that humans and mammals create and give off to show their affection, love, and pleasure being around someone or something.
In a recent study, when given the same amount of human affection the dogs showed an increase in this hormone of up to 57.2% while the cats only showed 12%.
Now, I don’t need a study to tell me my dog has actual love for me because when I come home after a horrible day of awkward, stressful, human interaction, I walk thru the door to see what?
My dog wagging her tail so rapidly that her entire back end is rocking along with it at this point she can hardly contain herself.
She is just about to explode with excitement and ready to shower me with love and kisses I imagine her shouting “Oh my gawwwdd my master is home I’m so lucky!!!”
Now, you walk in thru the same door on the same day and where’s whiskers or nacho?
They’re just like, “Whatever…”
You’re like “Hell0-0-0-0!” with just an empty echo down a cold hallway.
I’ll tell ya where your feline is.
He’s laying by the food bowl with an angry scowl and I imagine he is saying “Finally my slave is here feed me and pet me until I purrrr!!”
What would you rather come home to?
Also, cat’s sleep 70% of their lives and are ranked the third sleepiest mammal right below the bat and possum, now try interacting with that!
Every cat and dog are different, just like peoples personalities, so to each their own.
Some people would prefer a pet with a chiller vibe who keeps to themselves or an outgoing pet to go on endless adventures with. Luckily, there are plenty of cats and dogs to suit both.
But when it comes to loyalty, dogs can’t really be matched.
Here are few examples of some amazing dogs that show their love and commitment to their owners.
In 1923 a dog traveled 2/3 of the US (2,500 miles) in the dead of winter including traveling thru the Rocky Mountains to find his family 6 months later.
Then there’s Hachiko, the Japanese Akita, who met the evening train every day for nine years, nine months and fifteen days, patiently waiting for his owner who had passed away at work.
There are countless stories of dogs finding their loved ones who were hospitalized, or even finding their way to their graves after they pass.
It’s a true connection and bond that just can’t be beat.
Overall, this round goes to the dog.
Not even really a fair fight in a dog lovers eyes.
Round 3: Contribution to Society
Cats and dogs have been proven to help mankind emotionally, while also teaching us responsibility and humility, this is why they are the top ranked pets but what impact do they make on a bigger level.
Let’s start off with one job they are both widely used for and that is an emotional support animal.
An emotional support animal is simply an animal that provides comfort to someone for whatever distress they could be going thru.
There’s no certification or training for this.
Next, is an actual service animal.
The only animals that can get this certification are dogs and mini horses.
Yes, we are for real!
Mini horses are not considered to be pets even though I am sure their owners feel different.
Service animals are specifically trained to assist their owner in many ways with his/her disability.
This includes alerting and protecting them while having a seizure, guiding the blind, alerting the deaf, reminding their owner to take medication etc.
Pretty amazing if you ask me and how freaking intelligent!!!
Also, there are police dogs that assist in the capturing of bad guys by either sniffing out drugs, bombs, or taking them down in cases of combat.
The also assist in the search of missing people and that’s kind of like superheroes in my book.
Dogs are also used in the military for the same types of things.
The first and most decorated dog to serve the military was the famous Sargent Stubby who served in World War One.
He assisted in finding wounded soldiers and also warned his regime of surprise mustard air attacks as well as ambushes.
He also caught a German soldier by his pants and wouldn’t let him go until American soldiers arrived.
Now that’s Merica’ right there… go stubby!
This category goes to the dogs again… Surprised? Yeah, me either.
Winner! Winner! It goes to the DOGS
In an overwhelming defeat!
I give this head to tail championship to the dogs!
Cats came out swinging with all they had trying to claw their way to victory only to be sent back up the tree they get stuck in time and time again!
To be 100 percent honest here, I am an animal lover and although dogs do fill up my love tank, I could appreciate all living creatures and their amazing qualities, including cats.
There are a lot of cat facts I didn’t mention or overlooked here but you know this is dogcrazzzy.com and well… the cat never had a chance let’s face it.
Needless to say, both dogs and cats are a huge part in humanity and they enrich the life of their owners in very special and unique ways.